Aquarium: An Underwater World

For seventy years, the Municipal Aquarium has welcomed a countless amount of children who enjoy one of their favorite outings. That is why this institution remains and always has a new attraction to show.

As we went in, we were given a brief talk about what we were about to see in the rooms that house over 50 ponds and a number of fish that is always on the increase. We moved along corridors barely lit with a soft blue light and made contact with that multicolored world that resembles the bottom of rivers and seas.

Each tank has small led screens displaying the information corresponding to each species: name, origin, and lifestyle. Some of them are freshwater species and others come from the sea. Some of them are constantly going from one place to the other. Others barely move.

It was curious for us to see that these specimens were brought from different places in the world. “Guatemala, Mexico, Sumatra, Australia, India, the Paraná River, the Amazon”, the signs read and all this was confirmed by the guides who assisted us. They also answered some unbelievable questions made by the children, like for example if fish sleep with their eyes open or closed, or if they get bored when they are alone.

The big protagonist in the venue is the old tortoise called Jorge. It is supposed to be over 90 years old and it receives the largest number of visitors. It is a curious creature. As we looked at it, it did the same thing with us, especially with the kids. It comes from tropical waters and was found in the Argentinian Sea. It has been in this huge pond ever since and has become adapted to its new life.

As the tour ended, we went up to the terrace of the exhibition rooms. A great deal of tortoises and alligators live there independently. In both cases, an environment similar to their original habitat has been created in the open air. The lawn also features an inclusive playground, an educational road track for bicycles and other attractions where children may run around and have fun.

The aquarium turns out to be a didactic and at the same time amusing activity, specially designed for kids. However, these species have the magic power to captivate grown-ups as well. That is why some visitors come along even without kids.